Sliding closure hopper outlet construction



Oct. 15, 1963 G. B. DoREY SLIDING cLOsuRE HOPPER OUTLET CONSTRUCTION Filed March '7, 1960 United States Patent C 3,106,899 SLiDNG CLQSURE HGPIER OUTLET CGNSTRUCTHN George 1E. Dorey, Westmount, Quebec, Canada, assigner to Enterprise Railway Equipment Qompany, Chicago,

lll., a corporation 'of Illinois Filed Mar. 7, 196i?, Ser. No. 13,171 3 Claims. (Cl. 10S-253) The invention relates to an improved hopper discharge outlet of a type adapted for use wherein a discharge opening is customarily fitted with a sliding closure for controlling discharge of lading. Objects of the present invention, among others, are: To provide a sliding closure having its leading edge at a higher level than the trailing edge when said closure is in closed position and having the elevated end of the gate engaging with an overlying wall; and to provide for sealing engagement between upstanding side walls of a closure and the undersurface of hopper overlying side walls.

The invention further resides in the arrangement of the closure in relation to the hopper walls to provide tight seals around the opening and in certain details of construction associated with the closure.

For further comprehension of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing wherein the improvement is shown as applied to an outlet suitable for a railway hopper car.

ln said drawing, FIG. 1 is a vertical end elevational view of a frame and gate assembly incorporating the improvement.

FIG. 2 is a vertical longitudinal side elevational view of the outlet assembly shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from left to right and showing the gate in partly open position.

FIG. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken through the outlet on a line 3 3 of FIG. 1 except that the gate is shown in fully closed position.

FIG. 4 is a fractional sectional View taken on a line 4 4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is another fractional sectional view taken at a location corresponding to a line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

In said drawing the outlet assembly is indicated, generally, at and includes an upper frame section or hopper 11 and a sliding closure or gate 12. The upper frame section or hopper 11 is formed by longitudinally extending side slopping walls 14 and 15 which meet with transversely extending end sloping walls 16 and 17.

The upper section or hopper 11, as formed by the walls 14, 15, 16 and 17, nests within a three-sided lower enclosure formed by vertically extending wall sections 1S, 19 and 20 which are flanged outwardly at their lower edges. The wall sections 18, 19 and 2t) are welded to their respective associated wall sections 14, and 16 at 21, 22 and 23. The longitudinally extending wall sec tions 1S and 19 are united at one end by the transversely extending wall member which, in combination with another transversely extending wall member 24, forms a four sided rectangularly shaped chutelike extension lying below the upper frame section 11. The wall 24 inclines downwardly and inwardly and is preferably formed of a plate bent to form upper and lower ledges as indicated at 25 and 26. The flange 25 is spaced from the lower marginal edge 27 of sloping wall 17 a sullicient distance to present a slotted opening 28 extending from side to side of the frame.

Extending through the slotted opening 28 is the bodily movable closure or gate 12 which is preferably formed of a steel casting with an upwardly extending end flange 3d and at the sides there are side flanges 31-31 which, in cooperation with the end flange 30, form a three-sided pan-shaped member. The closure or gate 12 is movable ice f 2 between the vertically disposed side walls 18 and 19 of the lower enclosure and, when in closed position, is supported at its trailing end at one end of the discharge opening by the flange 25. Its opposite or leading end in closed position rests on a ledge 32. The closure or gate 12, when in closed position, extends at an upwardly sloping angle of 2 to 3 from a horizontal plane to prevent seepage of lading between the marginal edge 33 of the sloping wall 16 and the upper surface of the closure or gate 12. It will be understood that the closure or gate 12 is forced upwardly tightly against the marginal edge 33 and to this end there are provided inclined runways 34 on the supporting ledge 32 leading to its upper surface.

With the leading end of the closure or gate 12 in elevated closed position, the upper margins 35 of the side flanges 31-31 on the gate 12 are brought into sealing engagement with the under surface 36 of the sloping walls 14 and 15, as shown in FIG. 4. In order to effect sealing registration between the upper frame section 11 and the side flanges 31-31, the upper marginal edges 35 are disposed to extend at such an angle to the lading contacting surface of the closure or gate 12 that, upon elevation of the leading end of the gate 12, the edge surfaces 35 are substantially horizontal. established with the sloping walls 14 and 15 of the upper frame section 11 throughout the lengths of the side flanges 31-31. The marginal edges 35 are preferably of arcuate shape and consequently present a very limited surface on which lading may lodge.

Upon withdrawal from its supporting seats at each end thereof the closure or gate 12 drops away from the lading to a substantially horizontal position as indicated by line 36, FIG. 3, to rest on intermediate seats 37, 3S and 39 and, upon further opening movement, on seats 40 and 41.

The operating mechanism for the closure or gate 12 includes a rotatable operating shaft 42 journaled in bearings 43-43 which in turn are carried by the side members 18 and 19. Non-rotatably mounted on the shaft 42 are geared pinions 44 which engage with toothed racks 45 on the underside of the closure or gate 12. An operating handle 46, having a series of bar receiving socket openings 47, is provided at one end of the shaft 42 for the purpose of effecting rotation of the shaft by means of a removable bar which is indicated by conventional dot and dash lines at 4S.

The lower portion of each overlying side wall 14 and 15 is preferably deflected, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, from its inclined upper portion to assume a substantially vertically extending wall section 49. The wall sections 49 lie adjacent the side flange 31-31 of the closure or gate 12.

The closure or gate 12 when released at its leading end from its supporting ledge 32, travels along a substantially lirizontal plane as indicated by the dot-dash lines 36 on the seats 37 to 41 inclusive. Upon closing movement, the leading edge of the closure or gate 12 rides on the inclined approach 34 and is lifted to the inclined position to rest on ledge 32 as seen in FIG. 3.

With the closure or gate 12 in fully closed position and inclined upwardly as in FIG. 3, there is provided a triple seal against the escape of lading at the leading end of the closure or gate 12. This seal is effected rstly by the contact which exists between the upper surface 5t) of the closure or gate 12 and the marginal lower edge 33 of the sloping wall 16; secondly, the upward slope of the portion of the gate 12 which projects beyond the edge 33 requires such uphill flow of lading as to cause blockage; and thirdly, the prevailing close contact between the under surface 51 of the leading end of the closure or Thus contact is 3 gate 12 and ledge 32 provides the nal stage of sealing security.

The surety of sealing contact between the upper surface of the ledge 32 and under surface 51 of the closure or gate 12 when in closed position is enhanced by reason of the absence of supports intermediate the opposite ends of the closure or gate 12 thereby concentrating the weight of closure and lading at the respective leading and trailing ends of the closure or gate 12.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In combination, a four-sided hopper having a discharge opening and a generally horizontally slidable closure for the opening, said hopper comprising a frame around the opening, said frame having wall sections overlying the closure when in closed position, said closure having upstanding side and end walls bordering three sides of the closure providing a three-sided pan-shaped structure generally horizontally slidable to closed position to extend in juxtaposition to the outer surfaces of three of the overlying walls of the frame and extend beneath the lower marginal edge of the fourth overlying wall, means mounting said closure for generally horizontal sliding movement with its top surface in close proximity to the lower marginal edge of that wall of said frame that is juxtaposed to said end wall of said closure in closed position throughout substantially the entire range of movement of said closure between closed and open positions, said closure when in closed position sloping upwardly at an angle from the horizontal plane, supporting means for the leading edge of the closure to support it in closed position, and other supporting means disposed intermediate the ends of the opening and spaced below the level of the closed position of the closure for supporting the closure when the leading end is released from its support.

2. In combination, a four-sided hopper having a discharge opening and a generally horizontally slidable closure for the opening, said hopper comprising a frame around the opening including downwardly and inwardly sloping walls overlying the closure when in closed position, the lower marginal edges of said walls extending around the four sides of the opening, upstanding side Walls at the sides of the closure extending beneath the overlying side walls of the frame and having the upper marginal edges thereof engaging with the undersurface of said sloping walls when the closure is in the closed position, an upstanding wall at one end of said closure in closed position juxtaposed to the outer surface of one of the end walls of said frame, means mounting said closure for generally horizontal sliding movement with its top surface in close proximity to the lower marginal edge of that wall of said frame that is juxtaposed to said end wall of said closure in closed position throughout substantially the entire range of movement of said closure between closed and open positions, said closure when in closed position sloping upwardly at an angle from the trailing end to the leading end of the closure and at an angle to the lower marginal edges of the sloping side walls of the frame, and the upper marginal edges of the side walls of the closure tapering from the trailing to the leading end of the closure to extend substantially parallel to the lower marginal edges of the sloping side walls of the frame and thereby compensate for the elevation of the leading end of the closure.

3. In combination, a four-sided hopper having a discharge opening and a generally horizontally slidable closure for the opening, said hopper comprising a frame around the opening, said frame having wall sections overlying the closure when in closed position, said closure having upstanding side and end walls bordering three sides of the closure and providing a three-sided pan-shaped structure generally horizontally slidable to closed position to extend in juxtaposition to the outer surfaces of the overlying side walls and one end Wall of the frame and extend beneath the lower marginal edge of a transverse overlying wall of the frame, means mounting said closure for generally horizontal sliding movement with its top surface in close proximity to the lower marginal edge of that wall of said frame that is juxtaposed to said end wall of said closure in closed position throughout substantially the entire range of movement of said closure between closed and open positions, said closure when in closed position sloping upwardly at an angle from the horizontal plane toward said transverse wall, supporting means for the leading edge of the closure to support it in closed position beneath said transverse wall, and other support ing means disposed intermediate the ends of the opening and spaced below the level of the closed position of the closure for supporting the closure when the leading end is released from its support.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 109,001 Glass Nov. 8, 1870 656,591 West Aug. 21, 1900 987,877 Harrigan Mar. 28, 1911 1,490,190 Scott Apr. 15, 1924 2,738,735 Zimmer Mar. 20, 1956 2,738,739 Dorey Mar. 20, 1956 2,778,319 Dorey Jan. 22, 1957 2,989,008 Lindstrom June 20, 1961 

1. IN COMBINATION, A FOUR-SIDED HOPPER HAVING A DISCHARGE OPENING AND A GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY SLIDABLE CLOSURE FOR THE OPENING, AID HOPPER COMPRISING A FRAME AROUND THE OPENING, SAID FRAME HAVING WALL SECTIONS OVERLYING THE CLOSURE WHEN IN CLOSED POSITION, SAID CLOSURE HAVING UPSTANDING SIDE AND END WALLS BORDERING THREE SIDES OF THE CLOSURE PROVIDING A THREE-SIDED PAN-SHAPED STRUCTURE GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY SLIDABLE TO CLOSED POSITION TO EXTEND IN JUXTAPOSITION TO THE OUTER SURFACES OF THREE OF THE OVERLYING WALLS OF THE FRAME AND EXTEND BENEATH THE LOWER MARGINAL EDGE OF THE FOURTH OVERLYING WALL, MEANS MOUNTING SAID CLOSURE FOR GENERALLY HORIZONTAL SLIDING MOVEMENT WITH ITS TOP SURFACE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE LOWER MARGINAL EDGE OF THAT WALL OF SAID FRAME THAT IS JUXTAPOSED TO SAID END WALL OF SAID CLOSURE IN CLOSED POSITION THROUGHOUT SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE RANGE OF MOVEMENT OF SAID CLOSURE BETWEEN CLOSED AND OPEN POSITIONS, SAID CLOSURE WHEN IN CLOSED POSITION SLOPING UPWARDLY AT AN ANGLE FROM THE HORIZONTAL PLANE, SUPPORTING MEANS FOR THE LEADING EDGE OF THE CLOSURE TO SUPPORT IT IN CLOSED POSITION, AND OTHER SUPPORTING MEANS DISPOSED INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF THE OPENING AND SPACED BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE CLOSED POSITION OF THE CLOSURE FOR SUPPORTING THE CLOSURE WHEN THE LEADING END IS RELEASED FROM ITS SUPPORT. 